BRADENTON, Fla. – Tim Novak, Director of LECOM’s Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) program, announced today that 31 students were recently accepted and seated in LECOM’s School of Graduate Studies MHSA program. The January 2016 class represents the largest since the program began in January 2014. This is the fifth LECOM MHSA class with an anticipated graduation in June 2017.
“Our MHSA program continues to experience steady growth in both size and quality of our program,” Novak said. “With this new cohort seated, we have a total of 83 graduate students currently enrolled in the MHSA program. Students are seeking the knowledge to become effective healthcare business leaders. The industry needs these talented professionals to help solve the complex healthcare industry challenges facing our nation today.”
This class includes: nurses, physicians, pharmacists, hospital administrators, hospital department managers and recent bachelor graduates with degrees in science fields and healthcare business administration. In addition, a select group of current LECOM medical, pharmacy and dental students have been accepted as dual enrolled students in the MHSA program allowing them to graduate with both degrees. Per new class member Siona Eivazian, “Upon completion of this program, I hope to emerge as a leader in the pharmacy profession who knows how to both take care of patients and effectively navigate the business of healthcare.”
Many of the LECOM MHSA program graduates have already applied their newly acquired knowledge to advance their professional opportunities and are now serving in key senior healthcare positions throughout the country.
The students enrolled in this LECOM’s MHSA class represent a diverse group that are alumni from such schools as Ohio State University, Ithaca College, Brigham Young University, St. Petersburg College, Gannon University, University of California Berkeley, Purdue University, State College of Florida, University of California Irvine, Dartmouth, Southern Technical College, University of South Florida, Fordham University and Rutgers.
LECOM is helping to create a well prepared and formally trained group of healthcare business professionals to serve an aging U.S. population. Bloomberg reports that spending in medical services will approach 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product by 2021. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by 2020, employment of health service administrators will grow by 22 percent, faster than the average for all occupations.
“We utilize interactive learning platforms that are impactful,” Novak said. “The professionals in the MHSA program are not just gathering credentials, they are preparing to positively impact health and wellness in our communities through effective leadership.”
Ninety-eight percent of the didactic curriculum is delivered through a dynamic, web-based distance education platform by an expert team of faculty with deep healthcare industry experience. The program includes an exciting internship experience that provides students immersion into various healthcare settings where they can apply theories and skills they are learning in the program. This program is designed for busy professionals who are looking to advance their education while continuing to work full time. The next MHSA cohort begins in May of 2016.
LECOM is a leader in medical, pharmacy and dental education and is emerging as an industry innovator in teaching the business of healthcare.
For more information about the MHSA program, please call 941-405-1535, email mhsa@lecom.edu, or visit Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences